CASE STUDIES

TESTIMONIALS

What our clients and partners are saying about JaM

JaM provided us with consulting using the best practices for marketing and communications in the US, that became a basis for our social media program. As a result, we’ve had great success with social media, particularly with Facebook.

JaM gives us real insights into US consumer lifestyles and value systems through their ethnographic research, that are difficult to recognize from being in Japan. This has been a critical component for our product development. We have enjoyed a long term partnership with JaM, and trust them like family.

Since our company began in 2000, Yumemi has been envisioning the mobile device playing a central role in people’s lives. Our challenge has been building online-to-offline (O2O) services that support marketing and impact the real world. Through JaM’s consultation, we can better understand what is happening with US retailers, which covers the latest trends like omnichannel and IoT. In turn, we are applying it to proposing and developing solutions for our own clients. As personalization of customer engagement grows rapidly, introducing case studies from the US is invaluable in stimulating our clients, and JaM’s reports consistently deliver insights beyond our expectations. In addition to the factual trend information, we also examine what aspects could by applied by Yumemi or in Japan, and I always look forward to these highly inspiring discussions.

— Koichi Shimotake, Director & Officer, Yumemi, Inc.

Perspectives on international marketing is becoming more critical for Japanese companies today, and we’re able to learn about the latest case studies and trends from the forefront of US marketing. For those of us living in Japan, JaM provides the deep perspectives of context, cultural background, and consumers’ needs in the world today, giving us a glimpse into the future of what will be the new normal.

— Yuichi Inobori - Director/UX Strategist, INFOBAHN Inc.

For more than 10 years, JaM has given us ideas that are essential to our product development. JaM’s research presentations contain insights about products, industries and consumers that are only possible from their experience of living in the US. Their perspectives are different from ours, which helps shed light onto new product ideas that reflect our slogan, ‘you make a wish and we make it happen.’ JaM is a great and well-trusted partner.

JaM does customized research for us in the US healthcare and medical industry, ranging from business to marketing and communications. This type of information and analysis is not available in Japan, and they actually attend and report in detail from conferences instead of relying only on online sources. They have been a valuable partner over many years, especially as our representative when negotiating partnerships with US companies. JaM always delivers high level results.

— Katsumi Kondo, CEO, Infront

JaM has provided us with the most current trends in marketing and communications from the US. These insights reflect the reality that we cannot capture merely from what we see online. This kind of knowledge that is based on marketing fundamentals is very important for agencies, but it also helps stimulate and inspire us in creativity as well.

— Kenichi Kikui, General Manager, Tokyu Agency

JaM provides us with the latest information about US marketing and communications, along with real insights that we just can’t see from being in Japan. It goes well beyond the typical advertising framework, and we get great inspiration from these presentations.

— Nobuhiko Oda, Deputy Director, Interactive, YOMIKO

The experience of working with the JaM team is invaluable. Their keen insight and expertise deepened our understanding of Japanese clients’ needs for companies like Toshiba, so that together we are able to effectively execute on clients’ goals in the global market.

— Ilene Adler/Founder & CEO, Vantage PR

Partnering with JaM is like having an insider on your team in every respect. They know the company, the culture and the client so well that the process becomes seamless. They navigate the complexities of cross-cultural agency-client relationships in a way that we would never be able to on our own. Additionally, the folks at JaM are an absolute pleasure to work with!

— Drew Meyers/President, gyro SF

Toshiba_CS

Toshiba_CS

Case Study: Toshiba Smart Community Branding

Global Business & Marketing Strategy

For the past three years, JaM worked toward raising the awareness of Toshiba Smart Community (TSC) as a B2B global brand, using content marketing on social media to target the global market. JaM worked with Toshiba’s digital marketing division headquartered in Japan, to develop and manage the content marketing program.

Branding Campaign: JaM was Executive Producer of the TSC branding video, working with a US B2B agency, gyro, and 3DCG studio, Roof.

Case Study: Toshiba Smart Community Branding

Social Media

Toshiba Smart Community (TSC) ’s LinkedIn followers surpassed 300,000 in February 2015. JaM worked with Toshiba’s digital marketing division headquartered in Japan, to develop and manage consumer and business social media to reach out to the global market. We helped curate and promote relevant content, analyzed audience response, and contributed to building the community.

Case Study: Toshiba Smart Community Branding

Contributed Articles

JaM worked with Vantage PR, an independent B2B PR agency with experience in technology and clean tech, to raise awareness of Toshiba’s Smart Community business in renewable energy and smart grid in the global market. The strategy was to develop contributed articles on various trends and topics that were pitched to industry media. This helped establish Toshiba as a thought leader, and elevated their brand identity and reputation in the industry. Examples of published articles:

Subaru_CS

Subaru_CS

Case Study: 2019 Subaru Ascent Product Development

Subaru's new three-row, large SUV family car – the 2019 Ascent – is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2018. This resulted from JaM’s thorough research of American families, working together with SUBARU’s product planning team in Japan over the past three years. We conducted ethnographic research, where we enter the homes of Americans to capture deep insights about the values, mindsets, and behaviors of consumers in real life. JaM has been tracking the rapidly changing North American consumer market – the most important market for SUBARU – and projecting changes occurring in a five to ten year horizon. One of JaM’s unique strengths is in working together with Japanese clients, providing insights and ideas that go into product development.

PR_CS

PR_CS

Case Study: PR in Japan for Product Launch

When the global enterprise software company Poet Software* launched their product in Japan, we partnered with a PR specialist in Tokyo for the announcement. Working with the PR professional, who is experienced with various global companies' media needs in the Japanese market, a comprehensive launch plan was executed -- from preparing press releases, press kits, and media lists, to producing the press conference, and setting up media interviews. As PR works differently in Japan, we ensured that the planning process worked seamlessly between the US and Tokyo.

*Poet Software has been acquired by Versant Corporation

Identifying Seeds_CS

Identifying Seeds_CS

Case Study: Identifying Seeds for New Product Ideas

For many years, JaM has helped in product development, by identifying idea seeds for new products and services. These Japanese clients represent a wide range of industries, whose products range from household goods, personal care products, technology, and social media services.

Not only do we track new products in the US market, but we present the big picture behind their emergence. By explaining the culture, market trends, economy, lifestyles, and generational realities of US consumers, we reveal the "why" behind the new categories, features and functions. This information provides critical clues for our clients, who rely on JaM for insights that are neither easily understood across cultures, nor available from online sources.

With these idea seeds that accumulate over time, new products are developed for US, Japanese and global markets. Our relationships with clients have been built over a long term, including one who we've enjoyed for more than 10 years.

Market Research_CS

Market Research_CS

Case Study: Customized Market Research & Analysis

Topics we’ve covered in our custom research reports are as diverse and wide ranging as our clients’ industries. This requires that we leverage our strengths -- from being located in Silicon Valley, tapping into our network of industry specialists, to our experience in primary research involving one-on-one and group interviews.

For our Japanese clients, we’ve attended conferences and trade shows in the US on their behalf, particularly when distance, time and cost of attending themselves are difficult. We can connect directly with key industry people, and report about the latest news and trends.

We’ve also attended field research and conferences together with our clients, helping negotiate business meetings and providing consultation to maximize productivity within a limited time.

We understand the challenge of getting information online, or that information is not always available nor easily understood across cultures. Our research and analysis reports are always done with a US-Japan business perspective in mind, delivering a deeper understanding toward our clients’ business objectives.

Biz Dev_CS

Biz Dev_CS

Case Study: Business Development

JaM has been called upon to develop business strategy, and represent both US and Japanese companies to help establish business in each other’s markets. Our business development activity has involved finding potential customers as well as negotiating strategic partnerships, and ultimately finding the most effective means to enter the US or Japan.

The list of barriers in global market expansion is common for many companies: the lack of local connections or an international division, the tremendous cost and effort of establishing an overseas office, or even when there are employees in the target market, they cannot add more to their workload or are not appropriate for the new business. We understand these circumstances, and have helped minimize the time and cost for our clients by becoming their trusted partner in their US/Japan business development.